Columbia

The Federal District of Columbia is the last remnant of the United States of America. Also called the City on the River, Columbia is the most urbanised nation in North America, consisting almost entirely of the city of Washington DC.

Guilt by association is a recurring nightmare for neutral Columbia, which dreams of someday putting the fractured United States of America back together again. Unfairly accused of collaborating with every act of terror committed by the Unionist movement, Columbia always loses what political headway it gains between atrocities. (In fact, Columbia has itself been the target of Unionist attacks.)

Recently, after Columbia's failure to rout Hell's Henchmen from the mountains surrounding Piedmont, the Empire State crossed the border and destroyed the pirate haven. When Piedmont authorities broadcast mild threats in response to the uninvited assistance, one Broadway Bomber (whose name remains undisclosed) peeled off and took out Piedmont's aerodrome communications tower.

Columbia serves as neutral ground, the inter-American meeting house for the squabbling nation-states, and to a lesser extent other nations from Europe and abroad. The League of Nations, headquartered in Washington, has representatives from virtually all of the North American countries (as well as delegates from around the globe). These nations maintain embassies in Columbia (notably in Washington), making the city a chaotic potpourri of cultures.

The inflow of monies from other nations provides a large slice of Columbia's economy. Unfortunately, this neutrality makes Columbia the espionage and shady-deal capital of the continent, with American and European radicals and political refugees of every stripe flocking to the city.

Columbia is a nation of contrasts: a home to nationalists in a shattered nation; the former symbol of democracy, held under a state of low-grade martial law; a "dry" state, filled with ambassadors and dignitaries that routinely ignore the law.

After Columbia became an independent nation in 1932, President Calvin Coolidge declared a state of emergency. The remaining military personnel of the former United States Army act as local police, border guards, and defense force. This has little impact on the life of the average Columbia citizen; the military is far too busy protecting the country’s borders from outside aggression to do more than token policing of the general populace.

Perhaps the greatest irony of life in Columbia is its stance on Prohibition. The banning of alcohol can arguably be termed one of the leading causes of the United States’ breakup. Coolidge maintained the policy after assuming control; despite this, there is a thriving social culture in Washington itself, where diplomats and dignitaries—with immunity from prosecution—host lavish gatherings, where alcohol is in copious supply.